# What celebrities are complete bastards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 18, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827 "2009-01-18T04:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/21 "2009-01-18T10:52:42Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > If I were a famous and successful comedian who spent most of the year on the road, I think I’d make the same demands. I mean, are we talking bottled water and coffee makers, or strippers and a trampoline? > > All A- and B-list performers have backstage riders, and most of them aren’t all that unreasonable. For everyone who wants all the brown M&Ms removed from the bowl, there are ten or twenty who just want a deli platter and some beer. I don’t remember the details, its been twenty years since I heard them, but this was from someone who brought a number of A-listers to a particular venue and Carlin was said to be the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/22 "2009-01-18T11:21:24Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > All A- and B-list performers have backstage riders, and most of them aren’t all that unreasonable. For everyone who wants all the brown M&Ms removed from the bowl, there are ten or twenty who just want a deli platter and some beer. I always thought that the “wanting the brown M&Ms removed” thing wasn’t to be a dick for the sake of being a dick, but on the theory that if the other party to the contract had gone to the trouble of taking all the brown M&Ms out of the bowl in the Green Room, then that meant that A) They’d read the contract thoroughly and B) Had done everything else that the contract required as well. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/23 "2009-01-18T11:23:18Z")
I “heard from someone” that Fred McMurray was a prick and a lousy tipper. I’ve also heard stories about Dionne Warwick. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/24 "2009-01-18T12:39:19Z")
I’ve also heard Billy Crystal is a jerk to many people. I would be surprised if Don Imus is not a jerk in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/25 "2009-01-18T13:10:35Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I always thought that the “wanting the brown M&Ms removed” thing wasn’t to be a dick for the sake of being a dick, but on the theory that if the other party to the contract had gone to the trouble of taking all the brown M&Ms out of the bowl in the Green Room, then that meant that A) They’d read the contract thoroughly and B) Had done everything else that the contract required as well. That will be my stated rationale for insisting on strippers and a trampoline! ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/26 "2009-01-18T13:36:01Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I always thought that the “wanting the brown M&Ms removed” thing wasn’t to be a dick for the sake of being a dick, but on the theory that if the other party to the contract had gone to the trouble of taking all the brown M&Ms out of the bowl in the Green Room, then that meant that A) They’d read the contract thoroughly and B) Had done everything else that the contract required as well. That’s what David Lee Roth said in an interview. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/27 "2009-01-18T13:47:50Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > That’s what David Lee Roth said in an interview. That bastard totally snubbed me and my wife and her guide dog when we visited KLOS the same day he was there (as a prize I had won). It was so bad that the next time I won a visit to the studio, I asked if I could have a _Lord of the Rings_ DVD instead. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/28 "2009-01-18T16:13:31Z")
I’ve read that Julia Roberts, while not necessarily a bitch, is extremely high maintenance on set. I’m not sure if there is a difference between bitch and high maintenance though. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/29 "2009-01-18T16:28:07Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Val Kilmer. Once I read that, among other things, he burned the hand of one assistant with a cigarrette during the filming of “The Saint”, and then there’s, of course, the ridiculous fuckfest that was the filming of “The island of doctor Moreau”. Apparently, at some point, he went completely crazy there. I’d heard he’s mellowed out over the past several years. Damn, I just checked [IMDB](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000174/) and he has 13 upcoming projects! People obviously want to hire and work with him. I’ve heard the same about Julia Roberts. I think marriage to a “regular” person, motherhood and friendship with George Clooney mellowed her out. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/30 "2009-01-18T16:29:15Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > If I were a famous and successful comedian who spent most of the year on the road, I think I’d make the same demands. I mean, are we talking bottled water and coffee makers, or strippers and a trampoline? > > All A- and B-list performers have backstage riders, and most of them aren’t all that unreasonable. For everyone who wants all the brown M&Ms removed from the bowl, there are ten or twenty who just want a deli platter and some beer. I’ve spent a few amusing hours at [this site.](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/index.html) I found some riders to be perfectly sane. For example, some contracts specify that they have X number of vegetarians and X number of vegans who need to be fed, and just salads are not acceptable as full meals. Other riders are obviously political, though I imagine that most of the artists are sincere. And still others are just about in the “strippers and trampoline” area. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/31 "2009-01-18T16:33:00Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’ve spent a few amusing hours at [this site.](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/index.html) OT: The [Iggy Pop rider](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/iggypop/iggypop1.html) is not to be missed. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/32 "2009-01-18T16:41:00Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’ve spent a few amusing hours at [this site.](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/index.html) I’ve read several of the riders (including a few of the divas) and have yet to run across anything that struck me as completely batshit (although MIA’s request for “cave aged Gruyère” was a little strange, in my view) and I don’t know why Coldplay need fresh socks, don’t they have their own? Maybe I haven’t read enough to get to the really strange ones. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/33 "2009-01-18T16:43:40Z")
Has anyone ever heard _good_ things about Alec Baldwin? Apparently, he’s the biggest prick on the planet. And I’m sure the tape we all heard of him calling his 12-year-old daughter a “rude, thoughtless little pig” was the _only_ time he _ever_ lost his temper, right? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/34 "2009-01-18T16:47:01Z")
Edit to add, most 12-13 year old girls are rude, thoughtless little pigs. I sure was. He said something very sweet to her from the stage at the Golden Globes and she was there with him, so I guess she’s forgiven him. > [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > I don’t know why Coldplay need fresh socks, don’t they have their own? I know! Some things in riders I just don’t get, things that you’d think the artist would have as a matter of course. I haven’t visited that link yet, but some things in riders are so stupid. Someone, can’t remember who, insisted that the toilet seats be replaced. I guess I can kinda see that one, but there are items in riders that I don’t understand why the venue would put up with. You want a velvet-covered lounge chair? I don’t care who you are, fuck off. I guess riders could be a whole other thread. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/35 "2009-01-18T16:59:28Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Some things in riders I just don’t get, things that you’d think the artist would have as a matter of course. Some of the ones I read were entirely reasonable. The one for Eminem’s tour with various others in the catering section listed what time breakfast, lunch and dinner should be served and what it needed to consist of (seemed fine to me and probably a good idea as some performers have lifestyles that don’t include structured meals). It went on to suggest menus for each day but stressed they were suggestions and the event organisers could plan as was sensible and/or speak to the management company if they needed to - again, fine to me. Okay the request for a game room seemed a bit excessive but then the event was in Japan; asking for a room of arcade games there is pretty much like requesting ice when you’re staying at the south pole. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/36 "2009-01-18T17:00:03Z")
Here’s [George Carlin’s](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/georgecarlin/georgecarlin1.html) rider. It doesn’t look that bad to me. A little picky about the food, but not arbitrary, more along the lines of keeping it low fat and healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/37 "2009-01-18T17:01:17Z")
I plan on being a complete bastard when I am famous. I’m working on the bastard part first. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/38 "2009-01-18T17:34:47Z")
I’ve heard Mariah Carey is difficult to deal with (I think it was in an aviation magazine adn it was a charter pilot who flies lots of celebs) Brian ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/39 "2009-01-18T17:59:41Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > …Someone, can’t remember who, insisted that the toilet seats be replaced… I’m pretty sure that was Madonna. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827/40 "2009-01-18T18:01:35Z")
I don’t know how complete his bastardy is, but [Paul Anka](http://docweasel.wordpress.com/2007/08/25/in-defense-of-paul-anka/) has been known to respond to unprofessional behavior in kind. Then again, there’s a story on that same cite that he picked up the band’s meal tabs for weeks at a time… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-celebrities-are-complete-bastards/481827.md?page=3)